France v England LIVE: Result and reaction as Les Bleus edge thrilling Six Nations finale in Lyon
France 33-31 England: Thomas Ramos’s late penalty gave Les Bleus the win in a topsy-turvy thriller
England finished third in the Six Nations after a monster Thomas Ramos penalty in the final minute sent them spinning to a heartbreaking 33-31 defeat to France at Groupama Stadium.
Steve Borthwick’s men have trailed at half-time of every match of the championship and once more they faced an uphill battle, this time in the form of 16-6 deficit that included a try of the tournament contender for scrum half Nolann Le Garrec.
But they turned the contest on its head by amassing 21 unanswered points through two Ollie Lawrence tries and a Marcus Smith touch down as their attack ran amok through the France midfield. France regrouped to cross through Leo Barre and Gael Fickou but England were not done yet as Tommy Freeman stormed over in the right corner with five minutes remaining.
They appeared to have secured their fourth win of the Six Nations having staged multiple fightbacks but when they infringed just outside their half with seconds left, Ramos kept his nerve to hit the target.
Relive all the action below:
TRY! France 16-17 England (Ollie Lawrence, 43 mins)
England so close to scoring! Great flat pass to Underhill who breaks the line and he links up with Earl who looks set to score but stopped a metre short.
And now they have score! Ollie Lawrence again. Close to the line and it’s popped to the big centre to dive across.
Ford adds the conversion and somehow, someway, England lead this match.
France 16-10 England, 42 mins
Good run by Freeman down the right wing takes England into French territory
KICK-OFF! France 16-10 England
40 minutes of this Six Nations left. Can England pull off a smash-and-grab win?
WATCH: First-half highlights of France v England
Here are the tries from a very fun first half
HALF-TIME! France 16-10 England
Here are Harry Latham-Coyle’s half-time thoughts from Lyon
Life for England at the last in that half but that was a significant step back from last week's performance against Ireland. The Lyon crowd have been in to it from the start, roaring every French acceleration and making their displeasure felt whenever an Englishman hits the deck. Will Steve Borthwick pivot at half-time, or is he confident that this plan will come good after the interval?
HALF-TIME! France 16-10 England
An entertaining first half in Lyon
HALF-TIME! France 16-10 England
France have dominated this match and played some scintillating rugby but England’s strike just before half-time has given them a chance.
TRY! France 16-10 England (Ollie Lawrence, 40 mins)
And England strike just before half-time! France stop the maul but then their defence goes to sleep.
First phase, Ford delays his pass slightly, Lawrence bursts through a half-hearted tackle from Fickou, slicing through the gap for the score under the posts. Ford adds the extras and England back in this.
France 16-3 England, 40 mins
Referee Angus Gardner warns the French to be disciplined. Third lineout, Chessum takes cleanly. Maul stopped six metres out
France 16-3 England, 39 mins
England go to the back and Chessum catches. Ollivon pinged for an early drive, so England have penalty advantage. Again we go to the corner. Penalties starting to rack up
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